Fellow believers in Christ, I am sure many people here have climbed a mountain or hill and experienced the presence and grandeur of God. \u00a0Of course, it is never an easy experience to climb a mountain; steep, windy, stony and challenging.\u00a0 It requires real effort, tact and caution. \u00a0One of the most memorable days I ever had was the day I climbed Mt. Sinai, a mountain in the southern portion of Sinai Peninsula where tradition has it that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. \u00a0It is part of a chain of rugged, reddish colored granite mountains that rise high into the air. \u00a0Mt Sinai itself is 7,500 feet high. \u00a0The view of the stark and arid mountains surrounding Mt Sinai is spectacular.<\/p>\n
Abraham was called by God to \u201cclimb the mountain\u201d of leaving his home for an unknown territory and start a completely new life. \u00a0He came from Sumer, a settlement near modern-day Kuwait. \u00a0He and his family migrated to Haran, a city in the northern part of Syria, near Turkey. \u00a0God called him to leave his kinsfolk behind and move to the land of Canaan, modern-day Israel. \u00a0He left behind a prosperous commercial area to settle in a land that was still relatively primitive and undeveloped. \u00a0Abraham made the long and difficult journey at the tender age of 75 along with his wife, Sarah, who was 10 years younger. \u00a0It was a pure act of faith for him to believe in the promises God made to him, as we heard in the first reading. \u00a0Abraham trusted God wholeheartedly and \u201cclimbed this mountain\u201d in faith.<\/p>\n
Lent is a time when our Lord invites us to \u201cclimb the mountain\u201d of intense prayer, fasting and almsgiving. \u00a0If you\u2019ve never climbed a real mountain, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve climbed many mountains figuratively: mountains of ignorance to become educated, mountains of fear to discover new strength and courage, mountains of hurt and sickness to find healing, mountains of pride to discover we are not the center of the universe. \u00a0In conquering such everyday heights, we discover the God who never leaves us. \u00a0Peter, James and John on Mt. Tabor discovered the God that was hidden within Jesus who was always with them when they \u201cclimbed the mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n
What mountain will you climb during this Lent to discover God in people around you: at work, in the neighborhood, in family and friends?<\/p>\n
Fr. Gabriel Wankar<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fellow believers in Christ, I am sure many people here have climbed a mountain or hill and experienced the presence and grandeur of God. \u00a0Of course, it is never an easy experience to climb a mountain; steep, windy, stony and challenging.\u00a0 It requires real effort, tact and caution. \u00a0One of the most memorable days I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-priests-notes"],"yoast_head":"\n